Ada Choy: Guiding Brands Through Change, Innovation, & Growth With Liberal Leadership

What key milestones have shaped your profession­al journey?

After graduating, I was fortunate to begin my career at Ogilvy, one of the world’s most renowned 4As advertis­ing agencies. During my time there, I worked on major brand campaigns for key accounts such as Northwest Airlines and DuPont. This experience shaped my knowl­edge of one-on-one communication and provided me with valuable exposure to a global fun work culture.

However, in the early years of my career, despite being quickly promoted to Account Director, I realized that I lacked a deep understanding of my clients' prod­ucts and their customers' perspectives, leaving me feel­ing somewhat disconnected from the business side of things. Later, I decided to embark on my entrepreneurial journey by co-founding Crumbs. This step not only gave me a more holistic understanding of business but also allowed me to explore my potential in a completely new way. It marked a turning point in my career.

Share your entrepreneurial journey with Crumbs and the lasting lessons it brought to your work.

Establishing Crumbs was truly one of the most reward­ing milestones of my career. We started small, with a 200-square-foot store in the heart of Hong Kong, selling frozen yogurt. Over the next five years, we expanded to 52 franchise stores across China and Malaysia, employ­ing over 100 staff locally to manage operations, finance, quality control, and franchise partnerships. This journey taught me invaluable lessons about building something from scratch and turning it into a recognized brand.

One of the key takeaways from this experience was learning to work with people from highly diverse back­grounds, from young employees just starting their ca­reers to experienced franchise partners across different regions. This diversity helped me embrace unique per­spectives and skills each individual brings to the table.

The success of the franchise business model coin­cided with Hong Kong’s golden era, a time of abundant opportunities fueled by a thriving tourism sector. Look­ing back on this entrepreneurial journey, I consider it not just a career milestone but a life-changing experience that continues to shape my professional outlook.

What are your key areas of expertise in building and supporting a brand’s growth in the Asian market?

Building and supporting a brand’s growth is all about effective and precise communication. One of the most important lessons I've learned is the value of keeping messages simple and relatable. When communication becomes overly complicated, it loses its impact. There­fore, I prefer a simple and straightforward approach, whether communicating with customers, teammates, or even the boss. This ensures that the core idea of the brand is conveyed clearly and uniformly to all.

What challenges do you encounter as a branding leader today, and how do you address them?

As a branding leader, I’ve had to adjust to the fast-chang­ing landscape and accept that absolute brand loyalty is no longer the expectation. Today, consumers often choose different brands to fulfill various needs. For in­stance, they may use a Tesla for everyday driving and own a luxury car like a Porsche.

Instead of striving for complete brand loyalty, I strive to ensure our brand stays relevant and top priority for customers. I embrace the idea of "multi-brand loyalty," where customers can be loyal to several brands at once. Products serving different purposes, that’s the core con­cept of multi-brand loyalty. To make this work, it’s es­sential to understand their preferences and ensure our brand aligns with their diverse needs.

What are your biggest professional achievements, and what is your success mantra as a leader?

One of my biggest wins in my professional journey has been my ability to integrate work, life, and relaxation into a single, well-planned approach. I don’t see work hours and personal time as separate, and that balance has been key to my growth. As I’ve advanced in my ca­reer, I've learned to be a better and humbler person.

My mantra for success is simple, which is to always be humble and true. This mindset guides every aspect of my life.

How can women’s representation in leadership roles be further strengthened in the near future?

To strengthen women's representation in leadership roles, it's important for women to actively participate in communities that support each other. I've personal­ly joined several women’s groups in Hong Kong, where we gather, share experiences, and offer mutual sup­port.

Hong Kong has been a relatively fair platform for women to take on leadership roles in large corpora­tions. To continue advancing women’s representation, we, as women leaders, need to proactively share our achievements, insights, challenges, and stories.

Ada Choy, Managing Director, Nikon

With a proven track record of building successful ventures like Crumbs in Asia and leading Nikon Hong Kong, Ada Choy excels in fostering innovation, empowering teams, and delivering growth.